Gort-a Go Fast 2025

Ninety competitors gathered across two packed days of head-to-head racing as regional speedcubing returned to Gort Community Centre. With 21 rounds contested across nine disciplines on March 8 and 9, the weekend offered an intense showcase of Irish puzzle talent. Regional rivals met on the competition floor from the opening heats to Sunday evening finals, chasing titles and individual benchmarks in equal measure. Every podium spot across the entire schedule went to domestic solvers, underscoring the remarkable depth across the island in 2025.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a fierce field of 85 contenders through three demanding rounds of competition. When the dust settled in the final round, Ciarán Beahan captured the title with a winning average of 7.31 seconds, holding off CJ Furey who clocked a strong 7.96 average for second place. Iollan Walsh rounded out the podium in third with an average of 9.28. The battle for the classic Rubik's Cube crown proved electric, with Beahan also posting the fastest single solve of the event at 6.46 seconds to cement his authority in the official 3x3 results.

Beahan extended his dominance across the bigger puzzles, making Gort-a Go Fast 2025 a showcase of his versatility in larger hardware. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Beahan secured top honours with an average of 24.71 seconds and a best single of 21.30, holding clear of Cillian Hainbach who took silver with 27.09 and Elliott Laurent in third at 32.46. The 5x5x5 Cube told a similar story, where Beahan registered a 42.53 average and a 41.20 single to outpace Hainbach at 51.46 and Laurent at 59.85, sweeping all three multi-layered cube finals across the Galway meet.

Shorter formats delivered thrillingly narrow margins as solvers traded turns in the 2x2x2 Cube final. Kalin Doherty emerged victorious with a winning average of 1.88 seconds, edging out Lucas Patrick Dowling who secured second place with 2.14, while Rían Burke took third with 2.69. Doherty delivered a blistering single of 1.03 during the event, proving decisive in the three-round contest. The Skewb final saw William Carey capture the crown with a 2.84 average, defeating Cathal Burke at 3.38 and Ronan Finke at 3.39 in a closely contested medal scramble.

Speciality events rounded out the programme with standout individual performances across the roster. Jack Corr produced a sharp 3.49 average to win the Clock contest, holding off Rían Burke at 4.50 and William Carey at 4.52. Burke found redemption in Square-1, securing gold with an average of 9.88 ahead of Cormac Finke at 10.91 and Cillian Hainbach at 14.77. In the Megaminx, Jane Kelly claimed victory with an average of 57.54 seconds, edging Beahan at 57.77 and Ben Timmons at 59.18 in an extraordinarily tight race decided by fractions of a second.

Away from the top steps of the podium, Gort-a Go Fast 2025 delivered remarkable progress throughout the ranks of participating solvers. Ricí O'Connell secured a massive personal best in the 2x2x2 Cube with a time of 2.83 seconds, marking a 56.6 percent improvement over their prior mark, alongside a 23.09 solve in 3x3x3. Adhirya Anand dropped their 3x3x3 Cube best down to 53.30 seconds, improving by 54.2 percent. James Gray achieved a 52.6 percent drop in 2x2x2 with a 9.15 mark and logged a first official 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 2:22.50. Meanwhile, Clíona Curran tackled nine separate events, setting a Skewb best of 12.39 seconds, an improvement of 48.1 percent, and recording maiden attempts in Clock at 30.84 and 5x5x5 at 2:51.28.

The spirit of growth across the cubing competition remained evident in every round. Ronan Kerans posted a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 3.38 seconds, a 45.3 percent jump, while making a first Pyraminx attempt of 7.17. Eoin McCooey completed seven events, improving their Pyraminx mark by 37.6 percent to 7.93 seconds and cutting Megaminx to 2:22.40. Oisin West took on eight disciplines, lowering their 2x2x2 personal best by 36.9 percent to 4.78 seconds and Skewb to 4.89. In their very first WCA competition, Jamie Brady entered six events, reaching 26th place in Megaminx with an initial solve of 1:49.90 while recording first official marks of 23.92 in 3x3x3 and 8.12 in 2x2x2.

Lucas Patrick Dowling earned Pyraminx gold with a 3.14 average and a 2.73 single across three rounds of fast handling, closing out a memorable weekend of speed cubing in County Galway. From regional showdowns among seasoned campaigners to landmark breakthroughs down the order, the competition highlighted the vibrancy of the Irish puzzle community. Solvers now carry fresh personal records and renewed rivalries forward as the regional calendar prepares for its next chapter.